The farmers were seeking to meet with U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) director Daniel Glickman about the settlement of a lawsuit in which the government admitted to a wide-ranging pattern of racist discrimination against farmers who are Black. Farmers from Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and North Carolina joined the protest.

A group of 11 farmers tried to enter the building to see Glickman but were denied access by security and other officials. Cheered on by supporters, the farmers staged a sit-in at the entrance to the USDA office. Policemen from various agencies moved in, arrested the demonstrators, and took them away in a police van. The 11 farmers were later released after being processed and paying a $50 fine.

The demonstration showed the continued determination of the farmers, led by the Black Farmers and Agriculturalists Association.

William Miller, a farmer from Marshallville, Georgia, said he has "been in turmoil with the USDA since 1981. I was in the 1963 [civil rights] march on Washington, I drove a tractor in the 1979 tractorcade to D.C., and have 15 years in the United Auto Workers union at Ford. I will keep on fighting. I am not going anywhere."

Although the government has begun approving applications for compensation and making payments, farmers here explained that discrimination continues and some farms have been foreclosed on by the USDA.

According to the lead attorney in the class-action lawsuit, approximately 40 percent of the plaintiffs have been denied compensation from the settlement. In addition, the average debt relief by those that are receiving payment is only $17,500.

Richard Settles, Jr., said the delay is worrisome, because "farmers need to begin planting in the latter part of March. The way this is going we will still be in the adjudicators office in November."

A group of six young people who were walking by joined the protest after finding out more about the demonstrators' demands. Many other groups of young people periodically would stop and watch the farmers picket and chant.

Among the 11 arrested were Lloyd Shaffer from Bentonia, Mississippi, who was one of the lead plaintiffs in the Pigford vs. Glickman class-action suit. He and Linda Shaffer said they were the first to enter into an agreement with the government in November 1998. "Fourteen months later we still have only received two-thirds of our money. Neither the attorney nor the USDA will tell us where the rest of it is," he said.

"We were used by them, plain and simple," continued Shaffer, "and now we want to tell our story to others. To make matters worse we were denied a loan this year. We didn't know because we trusted the government. We farmed out of our pocket last year. This year our money is in the field but we can't farm or pay taxes without the loan. Meanwhile, the USDA has us where they want us. But we won't be quiet."

Arlene Rubenstein, a member of the International Association of Machinists in Atlanta, contributed to this article.  
 
 
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